Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne wine appellation

Cairanne is a quiet, yet pleasant village that lies above the undulating plains
between the Rhone river and the jagged, stark Dentelles de Montmirail a few
kilometres north east the provincial town of Orange.

This area of southern France is famous for its wines. The iconic Châteauneuf-du-Pape
lies just to the south between the cities of Orange and Avignon and some of the
best sweet white wine produced in France is from the small village of
Beaumes-de-Venise which is just a fifteen minute drive down the D8 from Cairanne.

There are three very special villages that produce great wine here. Cairanne
lies furthest to the west, Rasteau is close by and Seguret clings to the side of
the Dentelles a few kilometres to the east of Cairanne.

The village itself sits on a hill commanding a view eastwards towards the vine-carpeted plains
that surround it. Behind it runs the placid Aigues River on its journey to meet
the nearby Rhone.

Map courtesy of google.com

The Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne wine appellation covers just the
commune of Cairanne. Here growers are entitled to add the name of the village on
their labels provided they have conformed with the rules of this appellation.

To describe it more strictly, Cairanne should be described as a dénomination
within the broader Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation - because it is one of
the nominated villages that are allowed to add their name to the words Côtes du
Rhône Villages on the label.

The rules for the Cairanne appellation are similar to those for the broader
appellation. Reds, whites and rosés can be produced here. However, the
all-important yield factor is lower. Cairanne wines can only be made from
vineyards where the yield is less than 42 hectolitres per hectare. In the
broader Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation the permitted yield is 50
hectolitres per hectare.

Note that we will be posting a description of the Côtes du Rhône appellation
and the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation in the forthcoming months. However
to briefly describe what you can expect in the southern Rhone, the broadest
level of appellation is called Côtes du Rhône and this has the least stringent
requirements as far a yield is concerned. The next level is Côtes du Rhône
Villages. Wines produced in nominated areas where the yield meets the more
stringent requirements can display the additional word on the label but cannot
display the name of their village.

The next level is reserved for a number of villages where the quality is
considered to be exceptional and vineyards in these nominated areas can add the
name of the village to their labels. Thus in the commune of Cairanne they can
display the words Côtes du Rhône Cairanne and in the commune of Rasteau they can
add the words Côtes du Rhône Rasteau. In both these cases, however, we
anticipate that they will soon be awarded their own appellation status soon.
This signifies the top level of quality and four appellations in the southern
Rhone currently share this honour. These are Châteauneuf-du-Pape,
Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Beaumes-de-Venise. These are appellations in their own
right and do not have to display Côtes du Rhône on their labels.

Does this matter? We are strong believers in reducing yields, as it
concentrates more flavour in the remaining grapes. In fact, some of our
favourite French wine makers such as Philippe Gimel in the Ventoux and Thierry
Michon in the Fiefs Vendéens have yields
that are miniscule at around 20 hectolitres per hectare.

Red wines in Cairanne are mainly made from Grenache Noir which must comprise at least 50% of the
blend. This grape is supported by Syrah and Mourvèdre (which must together
comprise 20% of the blend) and then all of the other nominated grapes varieties
for the Côtes du Rhône appellation which include Counoise, Cinsault and Carignan
among others.

These red grapes can be used to produce rose wines. In addition, white
grapes of the permitted varieties can be used but are limited to a total of 20%
of the blend.

Domaine de l'Oratoire Saint Martin

Domaine Oratoire St Martin is run by Frédéric and François Alary. Their
family has owned this vineyard for ten generations. They tend over 25 hectares
of vines which are planted with old Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah vines, the
most desired gape varieties in this region. They treat
their vineyard with respect and practice sustainable agriculture. The grapes are
hand harvested.

One of their best wines is the Domaine Oratoire St Martin Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Reserve des
Seigneurs which is a dense, opulent red wine of some complexity that is a very good
example of the power of wines produced in this up and coming appellation.

We have tried this excellent wine at Le Beaugravière restaurant in Mondragon
in Vaucluse and at Cumulus Inc in Melbourne.

Domaine Catherine le Goeuil

Catherine le Goeuil is a thoughtful, passionate winemaker who tends her
vines organically and makes her wines with care and precision. Her vineyards are
quite close to the village of Cairanne, in fact it is within walking distance
along the Route de Rasteau.

She currently produces just one red wine under this label. This vintage it is
Cuvée Léa Felsch and what a great wine it is!

We first tried Catherine's wines at a charming wine bar in Paris called Les
Pipos. This is a true haunt of locals where most customers are addressed by
name. We tried the wine with some rustic goose rillettes and the combination was
magic.

The wine is made from a range of the allowable red grapes of the region.
This cuvee includes Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise
- a very similar combination to those of the nearby Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

In the glass this wine shows purple tints and has toasty, ripe fruit aromas.
The tannins are quite fine and there are spicy notes detectable at the back of
the palate. We love the long, lingering finish.

Drink it with any meat dish such as lamb chops, roast lamb or any type of
steak.

Domaine Marcel Richaud

Domaine Marcel Richaud lies very close to the centre of the village of
Cairanne on the Route de Rasteau and extends over almost 40 hectares. The
vineyard is owned and operated by Marcel and Marie Richaud who tend the vines
organically. They are certified by Ecocert.

You cannot go into a wine bar or trendy restaurant in Paris without seeing
their wines displayed prominently on the wine lists.

Richaud is a darling of the wine set along with Foillard from Beaujolais,
Mosse from Anjou, Puzelat from Touraine and Villemade from Cheverny.

The Richaud wines are matured mainly in large concrete vats to allow them to absorb
some oxygen. The different grape varieties are raised in separate tanks for
eight months before assembling the final blend for each cuvee. A small
percentage of the wine is given time in oak barriques to create an additional
layer of complexity.

The Domaine Marcel Richaud Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne is usually a
blend of roughly equal parts of Grenache, Mourvèdre
and Syrah, with Carignan sometimes playing a supporting act.